The related art is rife with computer desks and other furniture able to hold a computer case, keyboard, and monitor. The vast majority of these references are, however, particularly undesirable for high end environments and discerning customer because the computer remains visible even when the computer is not in use, thereby destroying the aesthetic appeal of the furniture.
In some disclosures, there are attempts to conceal the computer inside the furniture when not being used. The furniture is then reconfigured to reveal the computer when need. While these references work towards the same goal as the present invention, the prior attempts are generally directed to computers comprising cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Because of the size and weight of CRTs, these prior art computer desks rely on large CRT cabinets that are suspended below the desk top in both the concealed and operating configurations. The user must therefore view the CRT by peering down into the desk, which is not only awkward, but obstructs the visual access to CRT to all but the individual seated before the desk.
In another prior art attempt, U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,526 to Reppas el al. discloses a “convertible bed with computer desk.” In this desk, a flat panel display is mounted to the underside of a bed frame. The usefulness of this configuration is, however, severely limited due to the fact that the entire bed frame rotates upward to reveal the monitor. The distance between the monitor and the user in the operating configuration is at least the width of the bed frame. Even a small bed, e.g. a twin bed, puts the monitor over 40 inches away from the user. For all but the most visually gifted, the display resolution of the monitor will necessarily be significantly reduced in order to make the screen legible from that distance.
There is therefore a need for an article of furniture able to protectively conceal a computer in a closed configuration while making the monitor highly accessible and viewable in the operating configuration, without impacting the overall appearance and utility of the article of furniture for other purposes.